TABLE OF CONTENTS

Acknowledgements

Abbreviations

Chapter I: Introduction 1

1.1 Rationale 1

1.2 Aims of the study 2

1.3 Scope of the study 2

1.4 Methods of the study 3

1.5 Design of the study 3

Chapter II: An overview of English adjectives 4

2.1 What is an adjective? 4

2.2 Semantic functions of English adjectives 5

2.2.1 Stative and dynamic adjectives 5

2.2.2 Gradable and non- gradable adjectives 6

2.2.3 Inherent and non- inherent 7

2.3 Syntactic functions of English adjectives 9

2.3.1 Attributive adjectives 10

2.3.2 Predicative adjectives 12

2.3.3 Adjectives function as head of a noun phrase 14

2.3.3.1 Well- known groups 15

2.3.3.2 Adjectives referring to abstract ideas 16

2.3.4 Supplementative adjective clauses 17

2.2.5 Exclamatory adjective sentence 20

2.4 Summary 20

Chapter III: A new approach to SEMANTIC AND Syntactic functions of English Adjectives 22

3.1 Classification of English adjectives in terms of their usage 22

3.2. Classification in terms of their semantic functions 27

3.2.1 Gradable and non-gradable adjectives 27

3.2.2 Stative and dynamic adjectives 29

3.3 Classification in terms of syntactic functions 30

3.3.1 Attributive 30

3.3.1.1 Adjectives as premodification 31

3.3.1.2 Adjectives as postmodification 31

3.3.2 Predicative 32

3.3.3 Adjectives as head of a noun phrase 33

3.3.4 Supplementary adjective clause 34

Chapter IV: A contrastive analysis between English and their Vietnamese equivalents 36

4.1 Some features of contrastive analysis in learning a foreign language 36

4.2 An overview of Vietnamese adjectives 37

4.3 A contrastive analysis between English and Vietnamese adjectives 38

4.3.1 In terms of their syntactic functions 38

4.3.2 In terms of their order 42

Chapter V: Conclusion 45

References